Operating and controlling apparatus for dry dock side walls



June 7, 1949. F. R. HARRIS 2,472,295

OPERATING AND CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR DRY DOCK SIDE WALLS Filed Aug. 9, 1944 6 SheelZs-Sheetl 1 4 I N VEN TOR. FmaW/k. Har/v3 June 7, 1949.

`Filed Aug. 9, 1944 F. R. HARRIS 2,472,295

OPERATING AND CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR DRY DOCK SlDE WALLS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 N r Kb Lw ws INVENToR. Ffa/2N2' j?. Farr/S June 7, 1949.

Filed Aug. 9, 1944 F. R. HARRIS OPERATING AND lGONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR DRY DOCK SIDE WALLS e snags-sheet 5 Hiya/way June 7, 1949. F, R HARRIS 2,472,295

CONTROLLING OPERATING AND APPARATUS FOR DRY DOCK SIDE WALLS Filed Aug. 9, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheer?I 4 INVENTOR. [ieder/'c' i?. /Yd rr/'S Fa ,fM'

June 7, 19149. F, R, HARRIS 2,472,295

OPERATING AND CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR DRY DOCK SIDE WALLS Filed Aug. 9, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 l N VEN TR. Fredr/'r l?. arr/1S Jun 7, 1949. F. HARRIS 2,472,295

OPERATING AND CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR DRY DOCK SIDE WALLS Filed Aug. 9, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. Frfaf/N'c j?. Har/As HTZTRNE Patented June 7, 1949 oPcnATrNo Ann oonrnoininennransfcuss Fon navfnocx srnneWAnn-ss Thisdnvention relates :to4 improvements in..iioe:t.1 ingfdry. docks especially floatingedry dockscoms. prisma multiple units, each: having. transverse; wall sectionsat its two` ends; asv set A, forth inmy., co-pending prior application Serial; No.. 482,316.. for a Multiple unit floatingdry dock, ledApril 95.19.43and whichonJuly 10, 1945, matured'intov Patent No.` 2,3794904".

The. dry. doel:` described in that application .is..= adapted tof baassembled by .mooring the; pontoonV unitstogethcixside .byf side,4 in r.secure fashiomto; make the complete hull of the dock. A dock of this: type has wal-lsalongeach sideof the hull; andjn the vdock ofmysaid .priorapplication,7 each unit carries twoportions or sections of thesidewalls; said. portionson sections beingliinged` to thedecksf. ofthe. pontoons.. so thatthey can be lowered; tof tl'le` level..0fthe, deck, when the. pontoon is. towed oremovednabout. from place to place, and raised. upright whenthe dockis needed vfor user In the; assembly of the dock, with therpontoons side-,byside, the various sidewall sectionslat the twofends of each unit. come` respectively intov ali'neinentMA when they havebeen elevated; and thus the decl; will., have` aV wall extending at .full length` along. each sidewhen the assembling isnished.

In the. design of this dookmthe useof power--V` operated apparatus to. eiect the raising,and lowserineof the Wall sections oneach. unitrwas-:talsem intoaccountrrom the beeinnina and sowasthe. method of raising and loweringvthewall sections.; bythebuoyancy,ofsaidsections and :thepontoon unit whenthe. latter. is. partly submerged, as .my said. prior application.discloses.v Since the. ex:`- nedent of lsecuring the. wall sections-to .th.epon.- toon .by ,hinged connections.. and. raising. and .lowe-` ering said. sectionshad never` been v tried .before-vv nosureindicationas .to which. procedure. was pre. ferablezexisted; anden. thebest. advice and au:Y thority the decision was made to rely rstomthe; buoyancy vmethod oiraisingfand lowering the wall sections because a floating dry dock without extra mechanical operating vgear -lor--the` wall sections appeared to be more desirable for naval service inthe present conflict.l

After the rst dock of this type-had beenactually constructed; however, thoroughtests of the buoyancymethod of liftingandlowering the-wall, sections by partly sinking andl then raiSingth'e separate. pontoons revealed that such a.=.1 neth;od could besuccessfully performedin comparatively Smooth Water, ,bntxwas slow-.and-'rtedious at best. In roughweather the buoyancy1v method beeomes.:

y diicultand, daneerousen'd-even.impossible Thus', one finally realized that a special power plant should berprovidedito'fliftandlower the wall sections.; and theasnacex and-.expense requiroby such extra equipment are more than offset by the advantages thereof. The wall sections can be more easily and quickly put up and down, and

thesoperationis. lessisubject-v to .local conditions: ofiwindandwalle... f

Accordingly-l .it ist objectof this.. inventiontoaprovide mechanism whiohlwill effect theelel vating and lowering of the hinged wall sections. otaiioatinadryldock in a saie. and. .certain mennog, vlrxrzhi,l i ensures ,full control of. the operatcm. y ateyerystenand `which will. take upa minimum; oispaeeeand .entail thel'owest additionalexpense..

'Ihe` inventionis .fully explainedin the ensuing. descriptions taken witnthe accompanying draw-v ings which present .one embodiment of:` a, device.; capableoi servinethe intendedpurpose. 111,0 not.. however, wish tobe limited tothe exact'. details ot... structure .herein specified. buty reserve;

' thelriehttomake changesinlthe shapesize and' 29sty 'rhein eral.: l indicates the hull of. a. pontoon; unita .havee disclosed. nzmv; aforesaid...

indication@ with-portonsoi side wallszat eeen.

ift endv.. Theehinges. stier the wall sections create lower corners along the inner facesof said .Wall sections, When thefwall sections are; lowered- .to horizontal nositions; theyrestunon blocks orotheiol supportsfiongthe deck orl floory ot the-pontoonhulle, asfindicatedfin .Figure 5.

Adjacent the uppenoutercornerof each` section;E 2v., are.- two.v need bearing members or blocks.. 5. secured. onatheeouten 4face of.. saidsection. at an; inciineaandlhavinggazsniooth vbore--tlinnleh the.

a row of triangular bracesgfonthefouterjacel-oif @echen/.al1 section: .thesebra-oes :beineizeeeh shaped likel an inverted V. They are inclined andfne.

crease-.insite andneieht fromrtheiton ofthe well 5e# semen-downen@ eeen rowsupportsafflatetoppede reilfl; whichi'siseehredio the-braces fit-the ens i ot eac Ther two rails leedfrom; both of. thes-4 blecisevfdoovnitheeouter fece o ffeaehwall. section to a point substantially in the plane of the bottom I of said section. The rails and braces are prefer- 3 ably made of angle bars welded together and to the sections 2 carrying them; or of other suitably shaped parts.

Extending along each rail or track I is a heavy shaft 8, one end of which passes through the bore of the block 5, and the other end of which is engaged by a bearing block 9 fixed on the opposite end of the rail 1. bearings and 9, but cannot move endwise therein. Between the bearings each shaft B is threaded over its entire length.

Cooperating with each rail or track 1 is a pair of columns I0. Each column is pivotally connected to a pedestal I I, a'ixed to the deck of the unit; and the upper ends of these columns are pivotally attached to opposite side faces of a block I2 having a threaded bore which is engaged by the screw 8. This block I2 rests on the flat top of the rail or track 'I and can move along the latter.

On each wall section 2 is a power unit such as an electric motor I3 mounted in a suitable seat on the wall section between the blocks 5 thereon. The rotor thereof is coupled by shafts I4 to the screws 8. Each of these screws has an extremity projecting from the top of the associated blocks and the shafts I4 carry worms I5 that mesh with worm gears I6 on said extremities of the screw shafts 8. The blocks 5 are made fast between brace plates I'I, and the screw shaft 8 has collars I8 at the bearings 5 and 9, so that any lengthwise movement of this shaft cannot take place. The collars I8 appear on Figures 5 and 6 but are omitted elsewhere for the sake of convenience and clearness.

j In operation, the threaded shaft 8 acts as a capstan screw; and the turning thereof causes the threaded block to slide along the rail 'I. When the wall section is prone on the deck, the screw block I2 on the shaft 8 is nearest to the bearing 9, and the jacking columns I0, each pair of which forms a jacking member for one of the wall sections, are inclined towards the wall sections 2. To lift the wall sections, the motor is set into rotation to revolve the screw 8 in such direction that the element I2 is pulled towards the block 5. Tension is thus exerted on the jacking columns and the section 2 is pulled towards upright position. When the section is fully raised, the jacking columns are-vertical. In the nal stage of the raising, the wall sections settle of their own weight with their lower ends on the deck of the hull I, and the screws 8, columns I0 and associated parts are rugged enough to steady the sections and resist compression and all other stresses at this time.

To lower the wall sections, all fixed connections between them and the dock floor are removed.

The motor then is reversed and rotates thescrews 8 in the opposite direction to push the blocks I2 towards the bearings 9.

The power apparatus for raising and lowering the wall sections is therefore simple and easy to install and operate quite ecient and certain in action and capable of giving the desired result in the shortest possible time.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

1. A dry dock having a pontoon hull, a wall section hinged thereon, a pair of columns pivotally mounted on said hull and joined together at their upper ends, a capstan screw on one face of said wall section, and an element connecting The shafts 8 turn freely in the' the screw to the upper ends of both columns, and means for rotating said screw to actuate said columns to raise and lower said wall section to vertical and horizontal position respectively.

2. A dry dock having a pontoon hull, a wall section hinged thereon, a capstan screw on said wall section, a motor on said wall section to rotate said screw, and members connected to the hull and an element connecting said members to said screw to raise and lower said wall section to vertical and horizontal position respectively.

3. A dry dock having a pontoon hull, a wall section hinged thereon, a capstan screw on one face of said wall section, means for mounting lsaid screwl in inclined position with respect to said face, a motor on the top of said wall section, gearing coupling the motor to said screw, and one or more members connected to the hull and an element attached to said members and engaged by said screw.

4. A dry dock having a pontoon hull, a wall llsection hinged thereon, a capstan screw on said wall section, a motor on said wall section, gearing connecting said screw to the motor, a threaded block on said screw, and means adjacent the outer face of the section connecting the block to the hull.

' 5. A dry dock having a pontoon hull with a deck, a wall section hinged to the deck, a capstan screw on one face of the wall section, a motor on the wall section, gearing connecting the motor to the screw, a threaded block engaged by the screw, an inclined track for the block on the wall, and means comprising members pivotally attached to the block and to the deck to raise or lower the wall section when the screw is rotated.

6. A dry dock having a pontoon hull with a deck, a wall section hinged thereon, a capstan screw on one face of said wall section, a motor on said Wall section, gearing connecting the motor to the screw, a threaded block on the screw, a track on the wall and inclined to one face thereof for said block, a pair of columns pivotally connected to the block at one end, and pedestals axed to the deck and pivotally connected to said columns at their opposite ends.

7. A dry dock having a pontoon hull, a wall section hinged thereon, a capstan screw attached to the outer face of the wall section, a column pivotally mounted on said hull adjacent the outer face of the wall section, an element connecting the screw to the column and means for rotating the screw to actuate the column to raise and lower said wall section to upright or horizontal position.

FREDERIC R. HARRIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Magazine, News Week, April 12, 1943, page 38. 

